Drone 'ray gun' gets approval to be tested at airports

A UK-created 'ray gun' that can knock drones out of the sky with radio signals is going to be tested at airports in the United States.

The 'anti-UAV defence system' (AUDS) has been granted approval by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to be tested in a bid to prevent drones hitting planes.

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The deal to test the system, which has been developed by Blighter Surveillance Systems, Chess Dynamics, and Enterprise Control Systems, is one of a number of options being considered by the aviation body.

The AUDS system is described by its creators as a way to "disrupt or neutralise" drones that are "engaged in hostile airborne surveillance and potentially malicious activity". Blighter says the equipment is "a smart-sensor and effector package capable of remotely detecting small UAVs and then tracking and classifying them before providing the option to disrupt their activity."

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The device works by jamming signals being sent to drones, making them unresponsive to their operator's controls and allowing the drone to be controlled and landed.

The targeting system can be used by an AUDS operator to detect a drone that is up to 10 kilometres (6 miles) away. To ensure a drone is correctly targeted a thermal imaging camera shows the drone on a screen as it flies.

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Both the US and the UK have seen concerns raised about the potential of UAVs being involved, either on purpose or accidentally, in collisions with aircraft. An FAA spokesperson justifying the trials said: "Sometimes people fly drones in an unsafe manner".

In April, a plane landing at Heathrow Airport was initially said to have collided with a drone, it was believed to be the first case of a direct collision between the two types of flying vehicles in the UK.

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"Drones will be used as simple, affordable and effective airborne improvised explosive devices," the team said at the time. The UAVs could be used to target high profile events as well as celebrities and politicians, it was claimed.

Numerous different ways are being trialled to stop drones from being used for terrorism.

Police in the Netherlands have trained eagles to take down drones on sight. The national police force in the country demonstrated a bird capturing a quadcopter and moving it to a safe location as it hovered above the ground. London's Metropolitan Police later said it would be interested in trialling birds as an anti-drone measure.

Drones are additionally being used to tackle the problem of rogue drones. Researchers from Michigan Tech University, in technology it calls "drone falconry" have demonstrated a drone capable of launching a net at another drone in mid-air.

Once the net has captured the suspect drone, the one launching it is able to carry it to a safe location. The researchers said this would prevent a bomb-carrying drone from being exploded over a crowd.